India’s direct-to-consumer (D2C) ecommerce landscape is undergoing a significant shift, with habit-driven categories such as skincare, wellness, new-age fashion, pet care, and sleep and comfort emerging as the primary drivers of growth, according to a new report by ClickPost.
Based on an analysis of 50.8 million forward shipments from 62 Indian D2C brands during FY2026 (April 2025–March 2026), the report found that these challenger categories accounted for 81.8% of all D2C orders within the study cohort, reflecting changing consumer purchasing patterns.
The report noted that unlike traditional categories such as jewellery and conventional fashion, which are often linked to occasions and seasonal demand, newer categories benefit from repeat purchases and replenishment cycles.
Skincare Leads in Order Volume
Among the categories studied, skincare recorded the highest shipment frequency. ClickPost data showed skincare brands averaged 37,874 orders per day during FY2026, compared to 5,986 daily orders for jewellery brands. This translates to roughly six skincare shipments for every jewellery order delivered across the network.
Growth rates also favoured emerging categories. Sleep and comfort grew 2.2 times faster than jewellery, while wellness expanded at nearly 2.7 times the pace of conventional fashion.
Smaller Cities Fuel Expansion
The report highlighted the growing contribution of non-metro markets to D2C growth. Skincare brands delivered to approximately 21,700 pincodes nationwide, representing a footprint 9% larger than conventional fashion brands.
Tier III cities and smaller markets contributed 44% of skincare and wellness order volumes during FY2026, up from 43% a year earlier. According to the report, digital-native brands are increasingly reaching consumers in markets where their products may not be readily available through traditional retail channels.
Demand Extends Beyond Festive Seasons
Unlike conventional retail categories that experience sharp festive spikes, categories such as wellness, skincare and pet care maintained relatively stable demand throughout the year.
Wellness brands averaged 35,058 daily orders in July 2025, reaching 98% of their November festive-season peak of 35,713 orders. Skincare volumes in July surpassed those recorded during the Diwali period.
Pet care brands also demonstrated steady demand, with July orders reaching 89% of their festive-season peak.
New-Age Fashion Overtakes Conventional Fashion
The report found that new-age D2C fashion brands shipped 11.83 million orders in FY2026, significantly higher than the 7.05 million orders recorded by conventional fashion brands.
Brands such as The Souled Store, Snitch and Bewakoof have scaled largely through digital channels before expanding into physical retail.
According to ClickPost, new-age fashion recorded 68% higher shipment volumes than conventional fashion while maintaining a lower average order value of Rs 1,586 compared to Rs 1,854 for traditional fashion brands. The category also posted a growth rate of 28%, compared to 17% for conventional fashion.
Prepaid Orders Reflect Consumer Trust
The report identified prepaid order rates as an indicator of consumer confidence across categories.
Wellness recorded a prepaid rate of 42.6%, while skincare stood at 54.7%. More mature categories such as pet care and sleep and comfort reported prepaid rates of 70.6% and 84.5%, respectively.
Jewellery also recorded a high prepaid share of 83.6%, despite the category’s dependence on visual representation and customer trust in online purchases.
Sleep and Comfort Commands Highest Spending
Sleep and comfort emerged as the highest-value challenger category, with an average order value of Rs 10,633. The segment also reported the lowest return-to-origin (RTO) rate at 0.19%, equivalent to one failed delivery in every 527 attempts.
Meanwhile, skincare and wellness averaged order values of Rs 987 and Rs 1,074 respectively, reflecting their growing role as recurring household purchases.
Habit-Based Commerce Gains Ground
The report concluded that India’s D2C economy is increasingly being shaped by recurring consumption rather than occasion-led purchases. It noted that replenishment-focused categories now dominate shipment volumes, while demand from smaller cities continues to deepen.
According to ClickPost, FY2026 marked a period in which habit-led consumption, expanding reach into Bharat markets and rising consumer willingness to spend on categories such as wellness and sleep collectively reshaped India’s online shopping behaviour.
